Ecology in Context: Research Strategies and Applications for Undergraduates

伯科维茨建议DBI-9988029生态系统研究所的本科生研究体验(IES-REU)计划将学生沉浸在高度互动的、以研究为导向的环境中，并促进对背景的理解以及生态研究的实践。预期的结果是：(1)学生发展出优秀的科学过程技能。(2)学生在科学和社会的背景下获得了广泛的生态学观点，以解决现实世界的问题。(3)学生在生态学的几个分支中都有很强的背景。(4)学生更好地选择和追求生态职业。(5)该计划通过为不同的学生群体提供高质量的培训，为生态领域做出了贡献。(6)我们发布了一套有充分记录和评估的学生培训模式。我们1988-1999年方案的114名参与者包括32%的少数民族和66%的妇女；目前已毕业的人中有86%以上在研究生院或在科学领域工作。2000-2002年的项目是在我们过去项目的基础上发展起来的，每年夏天将有10名学生到IES参加为期12周的项目，其中8名学生由NSF基金资助，2名学生由安德鲁·W·梅隆基金会资助。该计划包括三个组成部分：(1)学生研究项目-与一名指导科学家密切合作，每个学生描述一个研究问题和相关的假设，开发和实施项目，分析数据，在正式的研究研讨会上做口头陈述，并为IES的临时出版物撰写论文。(2)本科生研究策略--工作坊明确训练学生进行研究所必需的工具，并促进学生反思。(3)背景研究--讨论、案例研究和研讨会拓宽了学生对科学的各种背景和应用的看法，包括一个全天的关于生态学机会的论坛，让学生接触到现代世界的各种科学和生态学应用方面的职业。

ABSTRACT Berkowitz Proposal DBI- 9988029The Institute of Ecosystem Studies' Research Experiences for Undergraduates (IES-REU) program immerses students in a highly interactive, research oriented environment, and fosters an understanding of the contexts along with the practices of ecological research. Anticipated outcomes are: (1) Students develop excellent science process skills. (2) Students acquire broad perspectives on ecology in the context of both science and society to address real-world problems. (3) Students develop a strong background in several branches of ecology. (4) Students are better equipped to choose and pursue a career in ecology. (5) The program contributes to the field of ecology by providing quality training for a diverse group of students. (6) We disseminate a well documented and evaluated model for student training. The 114 participants in our 1988-1999 programs included 32% minorities and 66 % women; over 86 % of those who have graduated currently are in graduate school or are working in science. The 2000-2002 program builds on the strengths of our past program and will bring 10 students to IES for a twelve-week program each summer, 8 with NSF funds and 2 with funds from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The program has three components: (1)Student Research Projects - working closely with a mentor scientist, each student delineates a research question and associated hypotheses, develops and implements the project, analyzes data, gives an oral presentation in a formal Research Symposium and writes a paper for an IES Occasional Publication. (2) Research Strategies for the undergraduate - workshops give explicit training in the tools essential for research and foster student reflection. (3) Research in Context - discussions, case studies, and seminars broaden students' perspectives on the various contexts and applications of science, including a full-day Forum on Opportunities in Ecology that exposes students to a broad range of careers in science and applications of ecology in the modern world.